Golf ball retriever



Nov. 26, 1957 La M. RUHLAND y 2,814,520

GOLF BALL RETRIEVER Filed Aug. 2. 1954 Louise Mar/'e Ruh/and INVENTOR.

United States Patent() GOLF BALL RETRIEVER Louise Marie Ruhland,Wildwood, N. J. Application August 2, 1954, Serial No. 447,048

2 Claims. (Cl. 294-19) This invention relates to golfing equipment, andmore particularly to a novel golf ball retriever.

The primary object of the present invention resides in the provision ofa golf ball retriever which will eliminate the necessity of stooping torecover a golf ball while also providing means for retrieving golf ballsfrom ponds or the like having soft bottoms without causing the ball -tobe hidden in a roil of stirred mud and sediment and without pressing theball into the mud and out of sight and reach should the golf ballretriever be unsuccessful in retrieving the golf ball.

The construction of this invention features novel means which employsgravitational phenomenon for securely holding a golf ball after the ringcomprising one of the elements of the retriever has `been positionedover the golf ball. The ring is pivotally attached to the handle at adistance yapproximately equivalent to the radius of the ring from thecenter of the ring, and therefore, due to its own weight, the ring willpivot relative to a handle to engage the golf ball between the ring andhandle.

Still further objects and features of this invention reside in theprovision of a golf ball retriever that is strong and durable, simple inconstruction, easy -to use, which can be readily carried in aconventional golf bag, and which is inexpensive to produce, therebypermitting wide distribution and utilization.

These, together with the various ancillary objects and features of theinvention which will become apparent as the following descriptionproceeds, are attained by this golf ball retriever, a preferredembodiment of which h-as been illustrated in the accompanying drawings,by way of example only, wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevational view illustrating the manner in which thegolf ball retriever is positioned over a golf ball which may besubmerged in water and resting on a muddy bottom or the like;

Figure 2 is a sectional view further illustrating the manner in whichthe golf ball is received in the golf ball receiving ring;

Figure 3 is a sectional detail view illustrating the manner in which theball is held in the ring by the handle after being retrieved;

Figure 4 is an end elevational View of the invention illustrating theball retained in the ring;

Figure 5 is a partial bottom plan view of the invention; and

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the invention with par-ts thereofbeing broken away to show the telescoping construction of the handlewhich may be utilized as desired.

With continuing reference to the accompanying dr-awings wherein likereference numerals designate similar parts throughout the various views,reference numeral 10 is used to generally indicate the golf lballretriever comprising the present invention. Many times, golf balls landin ponds or other bodies of water wherein the bottom is soft and perhapsmuddy. Usually, attempts to remove I 2,814,520 Patented Nov. 26,y 1957the ball frome the p'o'ndf will stir the muddy bottom so as to coverandi obscure the" golf ball. However, utilizing the golf ball retrieverv10, it is possible to recover the golf ball without disturbing thebottom and further, if the initial attempt to recover the golf ball isnot successful, the bottom will not be disturbed to the extent that thegolf ball will be obscured and thus further attempts to retrieve thegolf ball foiled.

The golf ball retriever 10 includes a handle 12 which may be formed in aplurality of telescoping sections, as at 14 and 16, if such is desired,with each of these sections being frictionally held in an extended ortelescoped position, as m-ay be desired, or the handle 12 may be formedof a single elongated member.

Pivotally attached to the handle 12, as by means of a pin 18, or by anyother suitable means, is a golf ball receiving ring 20. The golf ballreceiving ring 2i) is substantially cylindrical in conguration with thecylindrical walls 22 terminating at a point where the walls are spacedfrom each other in ears 24 and 26 through which the pin 18 extends. Ascan be seen best in Figures 4 and 5, the lower portions of the ears 24and 26 are crimped, as at 28, so as to limit the extent of rotation ofthe handle 12 relative to the golf ball receiving ring 20.

The golf ball receiving ring 20 is of a height substantially equal tothat of the diameter of a golf ball and when positioned over a golfball, the golf ball will readily go snugly therein. As soon as the ring26 has been lowered completely over the golf ball, the handle 12 may bereadily raised. This will cause the ring 20, due to the action ofgravity, to pivot relative to the handle 12, thus locking the golf ballagainst the lower portion 30 of the handle which extends below the ring20 and the pivot pin 18. The golf ball will then be securely held inplace until such can be raised, where the free hand of the golfer canfree the ball from the ring 20 from either the top or bottom thereof.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the device willIbe readily understood and further explanation is believed to beunnecessary. However, since numerous modifications and changes willreadily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limi-tthe invention to the exact construction shown and described, andaccordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resortedto, falling within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

l. A golf ball retriever comprising, in combination, a handle, acylindrical golf ball encircling, trapping and lifting ring of an insidediameter slightly greater than the outside diameter of the golf ballwhich is to be temporarily encompassed by and trapped in said ring, saidring being split on one side, the terminal end portions of the ringbeing spaced apart and provided with a pair of radial outstanding spacedparallel ears, said handle having a straight lower end portion locatedbetween said ears, the free extremity of said lower end portion beingadapted to project into the lbore of the ring and to, in this manner,con-tact the surface of an encompassed golf ball in a manner totemporarily trap it within the inner peripheral limits of the ring, apivot and connecting pin passing through said ears and said lower endportion, the length of said lower portion of the handle below the pivotpin being greater than the distance between the pivot point and golfball being held in said ring.

2. The structure defined in claim l and wherein the length of the lowerportion of the handle below said pivot pin is also such that the freelower extremity projects to a position below the lower edge portions ofthe ring and ears, and the lower half portions of said ears beingsituated below said pivot pin and having their lower corner portionscrimped, the crirnps thus provided projecting int-oy the space betweensaid ears and defining limiting stops,`

said stops being situated outwardly of the position of the pivot pin andabove said free extremity and serving to limit the outward swing of saidlower portionof the handle and consequently the upward swing of saidring in respect to the lengthwise axis of said lower portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSDrysdale et al June 28, 1898 Staunt Apr. 17, 1951 Kegley Dec. 30, 1952

